Page 9 of Royal Mate

9

P aige

I waited for the general, or anyone in the room, to answer me.

My parents were dead.

Fine. That sucked, especially since this was the first I ever learned anything about them. But murdered?

Why? How? Who?

Who took them from me? I thought I’d just found them, but they’d been gone since before I could ever remember.

A low simmering rage narrowed my eyes and made my entire body shake. My hand clenched into a fist at Addan’s back.

“I believe–” the general began. The older man seemed tentative in answering. Why?

Fiona interrupted before he could finish his sentence. “We do not know. There are security feeds at the queen’s residence, however we have never been granted access–not only to those feeds–but to the rooms in the palace that have computer access.”

“Your cousin, Queen Alienor, has many enemies,” the general said finally.

I scoffed. “So? Apparently, so did my parents. These enemies murdered them, didn’t they? Does Queen Alienor have the same enemies? Have they tried to kill her, too?”

General Niemini moved to stand before me, hands clasped behind his back. He cleared his throat. “Princess, there are rumors–”

“We have no proof, General. Choose your words wisely.” Kaisin’s words made me nervous.

“No proof of what?”

“Suspicions. But to speak them aloud is treason and could cause everyone in this room to be executed at Queen Alienor’s command.”

My mouth dropped open.

General Niemini seemed to have warmed up to sharing information because he dropped a small bomb. “There are those among your mother’s allies who believe it was your mother’s cousin, Queen Alienor herself, who was behind the attack that took your mother’s life.”

Blood drained from my face. My own cousin? If it weren’t my parents who were dead, I’d laugh because it sounded so much like a daytime soap opera.

“What?” I sputtered. “Why didn’t you lead with that? And I’m supposed to marry her son? You are insane.”

I looked to Addan. His jaw was clenched, his gaze narrowed and if thoughts could kill, I assumed my soon-to-be-husband would be dead. Good. I’d love to see Addan tell the guy off. Say I was his and–

No! Bad thoughts!

“Prince Martainn is classically handsome, Paige,” Sorcha offered. To this point, she and her sister remained silent. “Well trained, too. Many females on our planet would sell their very souls to claim him, but he will wed you.”

Sorcha looked like a woman who read too many romance books that had the heroine falling for a prince. Sounded more like an incestuous frog to me, and no way was I kissing it.

If I was kissing anyone, it was Addan. His kisses were likely drugged, they were that potent. Addictive. God, my nipples hardened thinking about them.

“Princess–” Addan began.

I raised my hand, getting frustrated, in more ways than one. “Call me Paige. Please, all of you.” I glanced at Addan. “I think we’re way past this princess stuff, don’t you?”

His lips turned, but otherwise he remained stoic through all of this. No holding. No touching. No pulling me into his lap. No eating me out. No orgasms.

I wanted him to wrap me in his arms and tell me everything was going to be okay, then fuck me. Then tell me everything was going to be okay while he fucked me.

Yet we had an audience and even my horny vagina drew the line at exhibitionism with his family.

Addan tipped his head. “Very well. Paige, there is no proof. No evidence has ever been found to implicate Queen Alienor. As for the prince, your own mother betrothed you to him when you were an infant.”

“But?” I circled my finger in the air to get him to continue.

“There are many who believe she was behind the attacks. Queen Alienor had the most to benefit. She sabotaged Insuri’s membership in the Interstellar Coalition of Planets, revoked many of your mother’s laws within days of the attacks. She became very powerful when your mother died. And–”

“And what?”

Addan looked like he wanted to kill something with his bare hands. Or touch something. His gaze wandered to my breasts, clearly displayed by the very tight, hot pink shirt. “And wealthy.”

“The richest in five sectors.” Sorcha confirmed.

“The richest in five sectors?” What the hell did that mean?

“Yes,” Fiona agreed. “Rich enough to buy and sell your Earth ten times over.”

“Earth? The entire planet?”

“Yes.” There was not a trace of humor on Fiona’s face. She was dead serious. Who could buy and sell planets?

I processed what they were saying. It was like my brain was a computer and it was getting overloaded. Took me a minute. They all stared like I had two heads.

“So, my cousin, my mother’s cousin, who happens to be the queen of your entire planet–”

“Your planet, as well, Paige,” Addan gently reminded.

Whatever.

“My mother’s only surviving family might want to murder me on sight. Or, she might be innocent, and genuinely happy to see me, and excited by the thought that I am supposed to marry her son, who is also my cousin? Which is kind of gross to think about.”

General Niemini nodded. “Either outcome is possible, Princess. However, the choice may be taken from you.”

I frowned. “What? Why? What if she’s perfectly nice, and innocent, and doesn’t want to murder me? You’re saying I have to be queen anyway?”

“There are many who are suffering under her rule,” General Niemini spoke the traitorous words softly, as if Queen Alienor’s bad guys were listening. “Many of our people will be overjoyed to see her replaced by a true heir.”

My eyes widened, surprised. “Even me? A total stranger raised on another planet?” I glanced down at myself. The pants and shirt felt like armor now, like a reminder of who I was and where I came from. The clothes somehow kept me grounded in reality, because this place–this planet– was crazy.

“Even you,” the General confirmed. “Although Queen Alienor may not resist once you are married to her son. Do not worry that you and Prince Martainn are genetically close. You are no more than fourth, perhaps fifth cousins.”

I cringed. “I have no intention of marrying my cousin, or anyone else.”

I flicked my gaze to Addan, to his body and the clear bulge in his uniform pants. The bulge I knew oh so well. My mouth watered to taste it again.

To feel it filling me.

God, I was horny.

What the heck was wrong with me? After pretty much non-stop sex since I got here, how could I want more? My pussy was sore, but it was more of an ache now. A need.

Too bad Addan didn’t want me as much as I wanted him. He hadn’t said a word this whole time, not about wanting to be with me, not protesting about me marrying someone else. Not. One. Word. Dammit.

I had to shake my head to clear my thoughts. To get them back onto murder and overthrowing a monarch, not getting railed by a gorgeous, well endowed, skilled, dirty talking alien who seemed perfectly content to let me go, watch me marry some stupid prince.

GAH!

Think about the bad people! If this cousin really did kill my parents, then I wanted justice. I wanted revenge for her taking them from me. For pretty much ruining my entire life.

I took a deep breath, stiffened my spine. “If you all want me to actually consider being queen, then I want to see everything. Every report. Do you have video of my mother being killed? Or of my father’s accident? I want to see it.”

Fiona shook her head vehemently. “No, Paige. You cannot–”

“Absolutely not,” Addan swore.

Kaisin shook his head.

“You should not be subjected to such violent, bloody images,” the general added.

“Oh, yes, I can. I’m the new queen, remember?” I set my hand on my chest. “On Earth, a queen gives orders and everyone else obeys. I want to know everything. I grew up dirt poor. I lived out of my car for two months when I was nineteen. I don’t think you people realize who you are dealing with. I’ve seen things no one should see.”

“What have you seen?” Addan whispered the question. “And who should I go to Earth and kill?”

“What do you mean you grew up with no money? You lived out of your car? Alone? What have you been doing on Earth all these years, if not training to rule? The module from the pod would have instructed whoever found you of your identity and true purpose. Why were you not properly prepared?” Fiona clasped her hands in her lap and got a look that would rival most police interrogators.

I sighed. “I was adopted. My parents never told me about an escape pod or anything else. I mean, it’s not like I’m Superman. No one found me on the side of the road in a space pod.” At least, not that I knew of.

They stared at me, blank faced.

“Okay, so no Superman here. My adoption records were sealed. I have no idea where I came from. My parents–the ones on Earth who raised me–divorced when I was young and neither one of them wanted the financial burden of raising a child that wasn’t their blood. I’ve worked since I was old enough to mow grass and hold a paint brush. Mostly, I’ve worked as a commercial cleaner that specializes in large offices and corporate buildings.”

“You are a…maidservant?” My sister’s voice held disbelief.

I pointed to my uniform shirt. “Trus-T-Kleen. ‘For a clean you can trust.’” When both of Addan’s sisters’ mouths dropped open, I cringed with embarrassment. Not for working. No. They knew nothing about Earth or how to survive there. But that I was so different, so… behind on everything here. I felt like an imposter, not a queen.

“To answer your question, Lady Fiona, I’ve cleaned a lot of toilets. Mopped a lot of floors. I’m not special. I have no idea how to be a queen, but if Queen Alienor had my parents killed, then I will use whatever power I have to finish her.”